In 2014 we celebrated ATSE’s first ten-year anniversary. It was an
opportune moment to reflect upon what is distinctive about the tango we dance
and teach, and what dancing and teaching tango means to us.Ours is
a tango that feels personal to us and yet is shared worldwide. It is the tango of Naveira et al.,
the first generation of nuevo dancers and thinkers, who continue to innovate and inspire whilst remaining true to the
essence of Argentine tango, its history, unique forms and music.

This is the tango we study, dance and teach.

Authentic, improvised tango for allOur
tango is real: fully improvised, led and followed, not choreographed. Thus, if
we dance it, we can (and will) teach it, and then you can dance it, too.Contemporary and freshToday’s
tango is innovative and open-minded towards ongoing development, embracing techniques and movements from milonguero style, through salon, to the
newest tango nuevo. Never clichéd, never tired, never formulaic.Up-to-date and internationalThe
tango we share with you is that which is being taught and danced today by
professional tangueros throughout Europe and worldwide. We study with those
tangueros, and always look beyond the UK for training and inspiration.Conceptually coherent and technically soundTango is
a uniquely conceptual ‘social dance’, engaging both brain and body; this enables
it to be fundamentally improvisational and endlessly captivating.

Tango both deep and wide

In our own study and dancing, as well as our teaching, our aim is to pursue fully a flexible breadth of styles, since we believe that the best dancers respond by adapting their style and sensibility to the hugely varied music of Argentine tango. We love dancing milonguero style as well as contemporary salon/nuevo style, and would hate to narrow our focus unnecessarily. And as teachers, it is crucial we offer a real range of all authentic styles to our students, so that you can find what suits you best.

It’s your tango...Our aim is to enable you to dance improvised, beautiful tango together. For this to happen, you need to gain conceptual confidence; technical, musical and improvisational competence; and body awareness. The material we devise for each class encapsulates a key concept or technical element. Progressive classes develop specific themes across terms and levels, to help you build your own ‘mental landscape of tango’, seeing how each bit fits together with the next to create the whole dance.

Tango is owned and cared for by those who dance it creatively and
reflect upon it critically. That includes us, and you. We are thankful to our current students for continuing
to share the tango with us – and we look forward to welcoming many more in the
future.

Jon and SarahCanterbury, November 2014

Argentine Tango South EastSchool of authentic Argentine tango in Canterbury, EnglandCelebrating fifteen years of tango in Canterbury, 2004-19